A blood test conducted in a prehospital setting may rapidly distinguish between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, potentially facilitating more rapid, targeted treatment.
The test measures the levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a protein specific to the brain which is released into the bloodstream when brain cells are damaged or destroyed. It is already used to assess traumatic brain injury.
“Our findings suggest that this blood test may allow some hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke patients to be identified and treated by paramedics in the ambulance without needing a CT scan,” Love-Preet Kalra, MD, RKH Klinikum Ludwigsburg, Ludwigsburg, Germany, told Medscape Medical News.
“This could be very exciting as we know that earlier intervention with specific treatments in both types of strokes can lead to…